Grain drill



July 28, 1931. J. J. TATE l,8l6,062

GRAIN DRILL Filed Jan. 2 7, 1930 2 shons-Shoot l l UDH/7 L/ 77=I7'E nvenlor v Attorney f .1.7.1. TATE l ,816,O62

GRAIN DRILL July 28, 1931.

Filed Jan. 27, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvenlor I I y M A A ilorney Patented July 28, 1931` 7 i i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN J. TATE, OF ALBION, WASHINGTON GRAIN DRILL Application filed January 27, 1930. Serial No. 423,(335.

My present lnventlon re ates to an combiuations and arrangcments of parts as r proved grandrll Ior SOWl g Seed, P will hereinafter be more fullv set` forth and p ing seed grain, anclthe invention applies parl i d I th gccgmpanvnn dinos I u y t `f mechansm P have llustrated one complete eamnle of the ing the seed grain in the seed tube. AS is hysical embodiment of mv invention wherewell known to those familar With Seed plantin the parts are combined and arranged acingmachines, in seedingwith horse drawn cording to one mode I have thus far devised vehicles the driver, who usually follows the for the practical application of the prinimplement at the rear, is enabled to observe ciples of my invention.

w he action ofthe feedng devices', and there- Figure l is a detail vertical sectional view, (in

I' I l f 15 ton to correct any derectivc longtudnallv of the machine, om'ttmg the s v i l o i P operaton of the several drlhngdevices. tracton wheel, and showng one of the ::rain

In modern farm equipment, where atracdrills adapted for a front-sght feed` it betor or power machine s employed to draw ing understood that the machine tra vele to the drlling or seed mgnnachne across the the left in this figure of the drawings. field, the tractor s utl zed' 111 front of the Figure 2 i l d ti l ti l implement, and the driver consequently s View through the bottom of the graiu box i located in front of the seeding machine for Figure l, showing the changcable feed decontrol of the tractor. lVth the seedng vic h machines now in use, if a tractor is em- Figure 3 is a top plan view of the rin i p ye r he mplement, the drlver located n the bottom of each of the o'rain 'cannot observe the feeding actons of the boxes, for-'supporting the revcrsible feed several feed devices. The primary object of cup and feed wheel. my nvention is to provide the seeding in- Fgure 4 is a perspective view at one d plement with meanS Whereby the feeding of the transverselv extending rain boxes, devices may selectively be changed to insure with the traction or drive wheel omitted a sight-feed either fromthefront o-f the imshowing the drvingmechanism in positioi plement, orfrom the rear of the implement, for a rear-sight feed. depending upon whether horses are'hitched Figure 5 is an end View of the driving to the implement or a tractoris employed to mechanism' in positionfor a front-sight feed. draw the implement. Thus, in carrying out In order that the general arran'ement and my invention, the planter or seeding machine utilty of parte may readily he understood I is equipped with changeab e devices f rming have shown as much as is necessary of a plantp rt of e' e l devices ee mechanism, er, including the traction wheel 1 and main and the 'changes necessary 'for converting axle 2 for providing the power to operate the the mplement to either a horse-drawn grain drills. The grain is carried in the planter, or to a power-propelled implement, usual grain box 3` and is fed therefrom to the may be made with facility 'and convenience. feed tube 4, which deposits the grain at the In the nanufacture, of well known and rear of the furrow opener, here shown as a standard types of seed planters, I provide rotary disk 5, and the deposited grain is cova special support in the bottom of each grain ered by the soil in usual ma e e box, for the feed cup and feed wheel and ac The usual feed shaft 6 (here shown as cessories, whereby 'the position of the feed square in cross section) extends transversely *wheel and feed cup mayreadily be changed; of the machine, below the row of grain boxes, and means are also provided whereby the and below each box a reversible or changeable driving movement, or movement imparted feed wheel 7 is carried on the shaft and profrom the' feed shaft to the feed wheel may vided with the usual radal serrations. The be reversed, thus insuring either a rear-sight feed wheel is partially enclosed within the feed or a front-eight feed of the seed grain. sectional feed cup 8, and the feed tube 4 is x -The nvention consists in certain novel Suspended from the cup on a pair of exterior pins 9 projecting laterally from the cup, by hoolrs 10 at the head'or top of the tube.

The sectional feed cup isprovided with top plates ll that are flanged as at 12 and Secured together by bolts or screws in usual manner. The plates form a slot for the feed wheel at the top of the cup, and above the wheelthe usual ,adjustable feed gates 13 are provided to regnlate the feed of grain from the boX to the wheel and through the cup to the tube.

The transversely extending board 14 which forms the bottom for the seed box, is fashioned with a' row of countersunk seats or openings, one below each box, and in this countersunk seat a hollow ring 15 is seated. The'rngs each have an annular attaching flangc 16, and screws 17 are passed through holes in the fiange to secure the ring in the countersunk seat. The flat bottom 18 of the ring is fashioned' with an annular slot 19, and in the top wall' of thering an opening 20 is provided, which is threaded' to receive the screw plug 21, the plug being employed to normaly close the opening.

The ring 15 is employed to support the feed wheel and the feed cup, as well as the 'feed r shaft 6, and thetop plates ll of the cup are attachedto the ring by means of bolts 22 that pass through bolt holes in the top pl'ates. As seen in Figure 2 the heads '23 of 'the bolts are located within the hollow ring and the bolts pass up through the slot 19 of thering. 'By

g means of the heads on the bolts, and nuts 24 on the lower encls of the bolts, the topplates are clamped to the supporting ring.

From this description it will be apparent that with the 'shaft 6 withdrawn from the cups and wheels of the grain drills, and with the nuts 24 loosened, the wheels and the cups may be turned through an are` of180 degrees,

to bring the open portion or'cut away portion of the cup, either toward the front or the rear ofthe implement, for observation of the feeding action of the grain. In turning the cups,

; the gates 13 and the top plates ll also turn, and the heads 23 of the bolts slide around within the hollow head, while the'bolts themselves slide through the annular slot or slots of the fiat bottom ofthe ring. r After the cups and wheels have been turned y as desired, the nuts 24 are tightened, and the shaft 6 is replaced, it' being understood that the hooks of the feed tube 4 are interchangeable on their pins 9. i

In Figures 4 and 5 the driving mechanism, or the transmission mechanism,between the main shaft and the feed shaft, is shown .as comprising a driven bevel gear 25' onthe seed or feed shaft and a drivi ng gear 26 on the shaft 2 of the implement. A bevel pnion 27' on the vertically arranged shaft 28 receives 'power from the gear 26, and'the shaft 28 that is journaled in suitable bearings, is provided with a pair of slide gears 29 and 30 that are selectively adapted 'for engagement with the ployed.

bevel gear 25. The pinions 29 and 30 are for alternate use with the gear 25, depending on the position of the feed wheel and the feed .cup. In Figure t the upper pnion 30 is in mesh with the gear 25 for the rear-sight feed, while in Figure 5 the pnion 29 is in mesh with the driven gear 25 for a reversal of movement, when the front-sight feed isem- The device of my invention is capable of installationas part of the equipment of grain drills of this type now in use, or the special Construction of the changeable feed device may be embodied in the implement during the process of manufacture. The slight changes, due to the addition of the pnion 30, in the 'driving mechanism, to provide for the reversal of parts, may also be made in existing iinplements, 'or the special 'Construction of driving mechanism or transmission mech anism may be enibodied during the manufacture of the implement. e

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a grain drill, the combination with a grainbox having a slotted, open ring in its bottom por ion, of a reversible feed cup, bolts and nuts for clamping the cup to said slotted ring, a seed wheel in the cup anda feed shaft r:

passing through the cup and wheel' as d'escribed. i

2. The combinationwith a grain box having a c'ountersunlr opening in its bottom and a flanged, hollow, open' ring Secured in said opening, o f a feed cup' having a topplate belon the ring and a feed wheel in `the cup, the

bottom plate of the hollow ring being provided with an annular slot, 'a plurality of bolts passing through the slot and having e" heads in the hollow ring, said b'olts passing through holes in the top plate, and clamp nuts on the lower 'ends of the bolts.

3.. The combination with a 'row' of grain boxes having bottom supporting devices, of i a row of reversible feed cups and feed wheels, releasable means for supporting. the cups from said devices, a single, removable, feed shaft passing through the cups and .changeable 'driving mechanism for operating said ;a

shaft in reversed directions.

. 4. The combination with a grain box and a supporting device in the bottom thereof having an annular bolt-slot, of a reversible feed cup having a partially open side, an at- 3.:

taching plate at the top of the cup, bolts joining said plate and supporting device and nuts on 'the bolts for securing the cup inadjusted position.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

J OHN J TATE. i 

